Byram Hills Central School District

Components of Communication

Topics: as per NYS Syllabus (divided sequentially according to grade levels)
Situations: eg., Interaction with an employee at the railroad station
Functions: Socializing, Providing/Obtaining Information, Expressing Personal Feelings, Getting Others to Adopt a Course of Action (Convincing)
Proficiencies: Checkpoints A, B, C (which support Exit Standards)

Language based on communication shifts the focus of instruction from the traditional concentration on the linguistic aspects of language to the students' ability to communicate in the language in culturally authentic, relevant situations. We now know that students do not acquire communicative competence by learning the elements of the language system (grammar) first, as opposed to what was believed to be true in the past. Nor do they learn best by memorizing vocabulary items in isolation. The language needs to be spoken to and by students as they develop their ability to process language in real-life situations and in their ability to respond meaningfully in appropriate ways. Thus, emphasis in the language classes is now placed on meaningful interactive activities.

The active use of language is central to the learning process, and learners must be involved in generating utterances for themselves by learning to use a variety of strategies (see below) that compensate for language which they have not yet mastered. Foreign Language teachers can and must stress the relevance of language learning skills which are applicable to ALL languages and life situations. Learning foreign languages also means learning life skills and culture, making any language useful and significant to learn. When learners engage in communicative experiences in a wide range of contexts and for a wide range of purposes, they are able to:

gain access to further relevant and comprehensible information
learn by experimenting
make mistakes and try again
practice and subsequently use new communication skills
communicate with a wide variety of audiences
learn how to compensate for shortcomings in communication
become confident and successful in second language use.

Strategies adopted by successful learners include: requesting clarification, monitoring their own and others' performance, using a variety of mnemonic techniques, using inductive and deductive reasoning, practicing sounds and structures subvocally or aloud, using non-verbal communication strategies, and deliberate learning through practice for the purpose of developing a conscious awareness and control.

Second language acquisition is a skill building exercise where one begins with a simple element that is eventually expanded into more complex concepts. When designing/framing lessons, teachers must think about the following:

Simple to the Complex
Known to the Unknown
Particular to the General
Concrete to the Abstract

These approaches are intended to guide the students to a higher level of thinking which in turn will lead them to generalization, abstract thinking, problem solving and creative thinking-all in line with the Byram Hills Life-Long Learning Standards of Excellence.